Etapa de separación.

Unconventional O&G resources are produced using techniques other than those used for conventional reservoirs of O&G. Methods include horizontal drilling, hydraulic fracturing (fracking), and in situ-types of production (commonly used for oil shale and oil sands). Unconventional O&G can be found in different types of geological formations, but the most widely discussed types of unconventional resources come from shale, tar sands (aka. oil sands), and oil shale.

In 2010, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducted a global assessment of shale gas and shale oil in 48 major basins in 32 different countries. Their initial assessment indicated large potential for resource development of hydrocarbons from shale. The map below details shale basins with a resource assessment in red and shale basins without an assessment in yellow. While the resource assessments from the 2010 were significantly revised, the study nonetheless concludes that—in terms of geology—there is substantial potential for shale gas and shale oil development around the world.

U.S. companies have experimented with producing hydrocarbons from shale since the early 1980s. Around 2005, O&G companies developed a technique for commercial shale gas production that utilized horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing with a mixture of water, sand and chemicals pumped at high pressures. The amalgamation of these pre-existing techniques spurred

a shift in the O&G sector that is now referred to as the “shale gas revolution.” The shale gas revolution is characterized by shifting production activities toward geographical areas with significant shale resources, an increase in O&G produced from shale, a decrease in the price of U.S. natural gas, and a decline in U.S. imports of both oil and natural gas. As a result of the success from shale gas production in the United States, and the USGS 2010 global assessment of shale basins around the world, other countries have become interested in developing their own shale gas and shale oil deposits. Shale resources represent a new frontier of O&G supply in a world of increasing energy demand. However, developing hydrocarbons from shale requires significant amount of human resources, pipeline and refining infrastructure, a well-developed regulatory system, and access to a dynamic and experienced O&G equipment and service supply chain. In addition, the geological, structural, and resource characteristics of shale formations can vary widely from formation to formation, requiring different processes and technologies to develop shale gas wells in different areas around the world. Since the O&G industry does not have a “recipe book” on how to develop a shale gas play, extensive geological resource assessment and seismic analysis is required along with specialized equipment and highly trained professionals.

The U.S. government has supported shale gas development in countries such as China and Poland, through the Unconventional Gas Technology

Engagement Program (UGTEP) through the Department of State. The Department of Energy (DOE) also works with foreign governments on technical workshops as well as regulatory and energy policy development. The U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration works with U.S. companies through its posts in U.S. embassies in foreign countries, the U.S. Export Assistance Centers, and through commercial policy development within the Industry & Analysis Unit of ITA.

Export Destinations

As the USGS map form 2010 shows, there are known shale basins on all continents, and government are looking for ways to develop these resources. However, not all shale deposits are rich in hydrocarbons like many of those in the United States, and it may not be

economical to devote capital to infrastructure development, drilling, or seismic evaluation in certain markets. For instance, Poland was estimated to hold significant amounts of natural gas in its shale, and a number of O&G companies began making significant

investments to learn more about the resource potential in Poland’s shale resources. In 2012, many of those same O&G companies, upon drilling a number of test wells, found that the natural gas production in Poland’s unconventional resources were not commercially viable and pulled out of the country.

Despite the disappointing results in Poland, there are some initial shale gas success in countries such as Argentina, Australia, and the United Kingdom. International O&G companies are drilling production wells in Argentina’s Vaca Muerta, a geologic formation in central Western Argentina that is known to hold deposits of both crude oil and natural gas. In the United Kingdom there is no commercial production of shale gas, but O&G companies continue to invest in test wells and seismic surveys. The most promising areas in the UK are areas of eastern and southern England. Shale gas in Australia is similarly in an exploratory phase, as a result of technical and

geological challenges. However, some companies see Australia as the next big producer of shale gas after the United States.